Paracetamol is not the answer to arthritis

According to a major study, paracetamol does very little to ease hip and knee pain caused by the most common form of arthritis. The scientists warned that no matter how high the dose, paracetamol is largely ineffective against osteoarthritis, which affects up to 10% of men worldwide.

Research and advice surrounding painkillers and its effects on joint pain are conflicting, which isn’t helping matters.

In 2013, NICE – the NHS clinical guidelines watchdog – advised doctors up and down the country to stop prescribing the pills for long-term treatment of osteoarthritis, because of the dangerous health impacts including heart, kidney and intestinal problems. However, Arthritis Research UK still recommends that paracetamol can be taken for ‘mild to moderate’ pain caused by the condition.

The study itself, which was published in the Lancet medical journal, pooled data from 74 randomised trials involving over 58,000 patients. They found that diclofenac – a powerful painkiller – was the most effective treatment, but could lead to severe long-term problems.

“NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are usually only used to treat short-term episodes of pain in osteoarthritis, because the side effects are thought to outweigh the benefits when used longer term,” says study leader, Dr. Sven Trelle. “Because of this, paracetamol is often prescribed to manage long-term pain instead of NSAIDS. However, our results suggest that paracetamol at any dose is not effective in managing pain in osteoarthritis.”

So what should you do if you suffer from arthritis? Well, not many people know the answer, and that's the problem.

“The majority of evidence still suggests that paracetamol is a safe drug for most patients,” says the chair of the Royal College of GPs, Dr. Maureen Baker.

“But a number of recent studies do cast doubt on its effectiveness at treating osteoarthritis. What the study doesn’t suggest is a suitable and safe alternative for pain management. We know that alternatives such as NSAIDs, can be effective but they can have nasty side effects for patients if they are taken over a long period of time.

"We would welcome more research into safe and effective alternatives to paracetamol; so that we can help our patients with osteoarthritis manage their condition and live as comfortable as possible.”

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